'95 F-150 track ready street beast

[Sbeck09]

Quick one this time since I took yesterday off of everything to finally relax. First time I have slept past 6am in about a month. Ahhh...

I wanted to tackle the fuel cell mount since my plan is to use the base of the mount to add some strength under the bed, just behind cab. I first realized that my boxing plates covered up the forward mounting holes for the bed so I made a pocket that is easily accessible with a socket and ratchet. This was foresight caused by past mistakes on other projects. Glad I thought of it now!





Then I just measured up some square tube since that seemed like the best fit for the fuel cell. Thanks to my measurements improving along the way, it welded up nice and square and fit nearly perfect between the frame rails.



It looks like it practically lays on the driveshaft, but that's just the photo. It actually has more than 3/4" at it's closest point. And remember, the drive shaft shouldn't ever move more than MAYBE 1/4" since I have IRS. I also made sure that the bottom of the fuel cell was not the closest point just in case anything ever did let go under there.

Then I got to finally set the cell in there and it couldn't fit more perfectly! No movement at all, but slides right into place. Of course I have more mounts and braces to add, but it is self-supporting now. It also looks super tall, but won't stick above the bed floor more than about 4". Excuse the tarps. Our monsoon season came late this year and I did this as I was running inside from 55mph winds with rain.



Yes I could lower the center of gravity by having it all the way at the back of the frame like many others. Those of you that have been following for a while or know me personally will agree that isn't what I was after. I know that in theory, you want as much mass between the axles as possible. When this is full of fuel it will weigh nearly 200lbs. So I decided that was significant enough to raise it's mass 6" higher while moving it much more centrally. Feel free to argue against it though.

Oh yeah...the specs....18 gallon Fuel Safe FIA certified cell, aluminum case upgrade, remote fill, internal Aeromotive 340lph E85 pump, 3/4 gal trap door sump, E85 friendly foam, and a fuel level sensor. It was only 45 lbs without fuel.

[WallaceMFG]

Question for you guys, I am going over my list of remaining items for frame fabrication (getting pretty short!) and I realized that I still need to finalize how I'm mounting the sway bar, and more importantly, where it will link to the control arms. Traditionally they are linked to the lower arms, but I don't have a ton of room to work with there when you factor in the shock/spring. In fact there is pretty much no room except for the inside of the arm which obviously doesn't move as much as the outside (theoretically limiting the effectiveness of the bar). I saw that No Limit has their sway bars linked to the upper arms out by the ball joint. Is there any notable drawbacks to me doing the same? It leaves much more room to avoid potential bind, but I have no idea about strength limitations.

Thanks in advance!

I don't think there is any issue putting the sway bar on the upper arm. It will add some stress to that component, but everything is built stout enough that should not be a problem. Maybe just some extra bracing around the arm where it mounts for safety. In the end it will do the same job since the suspension is solid through the spindle. Just make sure whatever type of link you use can account for the upper arm moving inward as suspension compresses so it doesn't bind. Some of the end links that ridetech sells might be the ticket.

Progress is looking good so far!

[Sbeck09]

Thanks for confirming my thoughts! I'll probably weld in an extra cross tube to the upper arm just to help distribute the load. It will make more sense when I post a photo later. I already grabbed some end links that have heims on both ends. That should allow all the adjustment and articulation needed.

I'm really trying to have the frame fab done and be paint prepping it in the next 2 weeks, but this late monsoon season is killing my progress since I don't have an enclosed shop yet.

Let it be known that if it runs before the November Goodguys event in Scottsdale, and I have functioning brakes (most likely hangup), I'll enter into All American Sunday for the first competition. It's a HUGE stretch, but you gotta have goals right?

[WallaceMFG]

No problem, here to attempt to help lol.

I might offer a suggestion, if you can hold off on doing paint work on the frame. Years ago when we were building our Chevelle, we talked to a PC place at the GoodGuys (I believe it was Glendale Powdercoating, can't recall for sure). They blasted and powder coated the whole frame for something like $400. Even if we cleaned and painted the frame, it was not worth our time when they did it for so cheap. I'm sure they will offer the same or similar deals at the GG show, they always seem to be there in the vendor area.

In my opinion, leave the frame bare and keep working on the truck to get it running & driving. Shake it down for a bit, it is much nicer to fix whatever issues may come up when you don't have to worry about paint or anything like that. When you're happy, blow it apart and get everything looking nice. But if you're attempting to get the truck done before Goodguys, by all means don't wait lol. You cal always hit the spring event too, since they are close together.

I cannot recall, what is the holdup on brakes?

[Sbeck09]

That's an incredible price if it's really the entire frame!

I really thought about not painting anything yet and just putting it all together (god knows it's tempting just so I get it running faster), but I would prefer to not need to remove the cab, bed, or engine after it's installed to drive. I fully expect to need to make changes after doing some running. That's actually one of the main reasons for paint over powder (easier to remove and re coat). I also despise rust and I know I would constantly fuss about any splashes or washing if it's not coated with something. In reality, if I run this for the next couple years, I'll end up just doing an entire custom frame. It would solve a ton of compromises and look way better. Or I'll have so many issues with what I've done here that I'll have to build a new frame next year. Haha.

I'd prefer to be driving asap since I plan to run the hell out of it all next year. I want to run in optima and I'm already registered for the Pro Touring Truck Shootout in August. I want to have plenty of seat time before then.

I didn't talk about the brakes openly yet, but I need to change my master cylinder since I've drastically altered the calipers at both ends. Wilwood has a better deal than Baer by about 50% for one that just mounts right up and they recommend no less than 18in of vacuum at idle to be safe with a booster. My engine will probably only do about 9in at best. I can't verify that until it runs. So as much as I genuinely prefer power brakes I'll likely have to go full manual. I just don't know enough info yet to determine which size of master and if I really have to. I considered an electric vacuum pump system to make up the difference, but they are absurdly expensive kits for something so simple.

As always, suggestions and input on the topic are welcome!

[Sbeck09]

Had a burst of confidence last night so I put finishing the fuel cell mount off and dove head first into the steering arms. I've avoided this for a while, but after literally staring at the arms for 30 minutes the other night I had an epiphany of sorts.

Going back a few updates we talked about how these A body steering arms work for rear steer, but I have front steer. I did find a guy named David Lemmon (TRZ referred me to him) that made front-steer arms with Ackerman....until 5 years ago. Due to limited interest he sold what was machined and threw in the towel on that idea. I even attempted begging and told him to name a price to make a set, but he wasn't having it. Fortunately he did share some specs to help me make it happen myself.

I considered asking for his drawings to have a CNC shop knock out a pair or two, but I know what limited runs cost from working in an aerospace CNC shop so I put that idea away very quickly. Then I resolved that I would cut and weld the standard forged steel arms that I already had. They are only $65 from Summit so if I screwed up, not a big deal. I'd always regret it if I ignored this one last thing on my suspension.

Here's how it went:

The arms aim inward from the wheel which equals Anti-Ackerman. Bad for me.


Silver Sharpie and a machinist"s scale to carefully mark a cut line


Then the moment of truth. I attempted to cut these with my bandsaw. It very much disagreed so I grabbed the grinder with a thin disk and it zipped right through.


Since the material is about an inch thick I beveled heavily to insure good weld penetration. Not an area I want to roll the dice with.


I bolted them up to the spindles and made sure both sides matched and then tacked both heavily before removing again. I don't want to put that much heat and spatter on my nice spindles.


Finally I cranked up the welder and took my time filling the channel I created before I ended up with this.


This evening I'll use the flapper disk to clean it up and then paint them black again and you'll never know it happened. I'm pretty satisfied and the weld joint is not out on the arm under the highest stress like I was originally planning. I also got more Ackerman than I need so these can be adjusted with spacers which is a nice bonus. Lemmon suggested about 1/2" offset to the outside of the ball joints. It's a little tight to the wheel for the tie-rod stud, but it clears. If it doesn't workout somehow I'll just go with the TRZ zero ackerman steering arms for my front-steer application. What do you guys think of this solution?

[SSLance]

Nice thinking out side the box... I want to see this picture replicated with the new and improved arms...

[Sbeck09]

Nice thinking out side the box... I want to see this picture replicated with the new and improved arms...

Thanks! I think this is the best compromise especially when you add in the time and money saved from creating brand new arms.

As requested....



4 spacers from now I can consider this procedure 100% done. And this is why I need to stay out of my head. So much easier to do than I thought.

[SSLance]

So simple yet so VERY effective. Nice work...

[Sbeck09]

I'm feeling pretty accomplished after this weekend. Still plenty to do, but my measurements seem to be getting pretty accurate lately.

I didn't get any photos, but ended up having the perfect spacers for the steering arms so I got those ground smooth and bolted up. I actually need longer bump steer correction adapters now. Funny enough, that small problem makes me super happy. Only thing left to do on the steering now is to move the rack up. That will actually be fairly simple.

My old abrasive chop saw was having the worst time cutting in the last week and I suspect it is dying. With roll cage fab coming up fast I made the decision to buy a new one that should last a while. For those of you who haven't used one of these carbide metal chop saws....do yourself a favor and try it. I could cut .250 wall square tube in about 3-5 seconds. My abrasive saw was struggling to even start that cut. And you can see how much bigger the new saw looks even though they are both 14" blades.



If you have questions about this, feel free to PM me.

Next up was finishing the fuel cell mount. I just had to add the tabs for the cell to bolt onto and then box it all in. It wasn't a difficult job, but it is one of those tasks that just eats up time. The end product was exactly what I wanted and it all fits very snug. I feel safe with how this is mounted.



You can also see that I tied the heavy lower frame of the mount into the rest of the frame with a couple tubes on each side. I figure this will add just a bit more rigity to the frame overall since there isn't a lot of structure behind the cab anyway. I doubt this frame will flex at all when I'm done, which is what I want.



After that I made a cardboard template of the square I needed to cut out of the bed and took careful measurements. Then based on the mounting hole positions I marked it out. It was a perfectly straight and rust free bed so I needed to cut it up. Haha.



Then I could use my engine crane to pick the entire bed up and roll it over the frame. This is the same method I always use, but I finally remembered to take a photo to share. I need to whip up some kind of boom extension for this thing. I could always use a bit more reach with lighter stuff like this.



Somehow it all just slipped together. No fighting, no prying, and not even an F-bomb or crushed finger. Aside from about 1/2" of trimming needed around the holes for the shock mounts, it fits flawlessly.



Fuel cell pokes into the bed by exactly 4" which is how I planned this all along. I feel this slight penalty of weight being higher than mounting it low behind the suspension is worth the benefits of having this load in front of the rear suspension. It will be about 190lbs when full of fuel and I don't want that swinging out back. Beyond this, I only need to cut out holes for the rear cage bars by the shock mounts and make some kind of mounting point for the wing uprights by the back. Then the bed is done other than paint.



I kept thinking I would need to modify the wheel tubs or roll the lip (still gonna do that) to make 10" wide wheels fit. Nope, these 18x10 wheels look TINY under here. So I can get pretty aggressive with tire fit if I want. 315s will be no problem at all which is what I've designed the entire truck around.



I did get the battery tray mounted too, but it was getting late so I didn't remember to snap any photos. There is a lot happening pretty fast now so each update should be juicy.

[WallaceMFG]

We got one of those types of saw a few years ago, best tool we've gotten in a long time. So much nicer than abrasive discs. Just the parts not getting hot from cutting is worth it in my opinion.

We made a longer boom for our engine crane since we hated the short ones that come with them. Unfortunately, the tubing size on ours was some weird size that was not easily available, so we had to add some flat stock onto the new tube to get the dimension right lol. Not very pretty, but gets the job done.

Looking good as usual!

[Sbeck09]

Good point about the saw that I forgot to mention. You can absolutely hold your hand right on the cut as soon as it comes off the saw. It's amazing. Plus no dust. It makes chips and those don't float around into your lungs like the abrasive dust. I felt less stopped up after this weekend.

I'll have to look at making about a 3ft extension on my boom. I'm sure I can make something that sticks on with a couple bolts when needed. I know my big crane can do it better, but the little one is so much easier to maneuver. Shoot me a pic of what you made if you think about it.

[Sbeck09]

Still putting in 2-3 hours a night trying to get ready for tear down. It's all just little tasks that eat up time, but each one done keeps my enthusiasm up!

So to follow up on the bed being test fit with the fuel cell, I wanted/needed a place to mount the battery on the passenger side behind the cab. At the same time I knew that ease of access is paramount for a number of reasons that we can all think of. I settled on the outside of the frame rail at the front of the bed with it just above level with the bed floor. This way I can reach over and remove, jump, or charge whenever I need. I will make an access panel in the bed cover when I get to that part.



If you are confused by my using the normal battery...don't be. It's readily available and listed for this particular truck. Plus this was brand new when I tore the truck down and cost nothing to use. If I ever need a replacement I can easily find one even in a small town. I only need to add a tie down and that's done.

Something that I have been sitting on for a while is my full serpentine drive system. I met the CVF Racing guys at SEMA last year and was super impressed with their offering for my platform especially for the price. So I ordered their stealth Wraptor kit along with my Vintage Air system so it would all match. Unfortunately I wasn't aware of the difference of standard and reverse rotation water pumps on the SBF (thanks a lot Ford) at the time. Now I'm SUPER well educated on it. Turns out that CVF doesn't have a Wraptor option for reverse rotation, but my motor is just assembled and has that timing cover. I didn't want to change engine parts so I shot a message and made a suggestion to them about whipping up the couple needed parts to make it happen. It's not something they ever get requested so their enthusiasm was.....lacking. Haha. They did end up special making the 6 components needed for me to now have the ONLY SBF reverse rotation Wraptor kit in existence. OUTSTANDING customer service! All I wanted was to return it and buy another kit already done. They went above and beyond to make me happy, probably costing them money on the sale. So please consider their kits if you need a serpentine system because they absolutely will not let you be unhappy, is built really well, and it's made in America.



I realize this could have waited, but I wanted to add some fun parts and break up the constant cutting and welding.

I'm going to test fit the cab this weekend to make sure everything clears before the frame is disassembled and painted. So I figured now would be the time to finish patching the firewall. I freakin HATE sheetmetal work. It always reminds you that no matter how well you can weld...you cant. Haha





Only 4 more holes and then covering the tunnel opening for the engine setback.

Stay tuned for some photos of the cab and bed on in a couple days!

[WallaceMFG]

I'll have to look at making about a 3ft extension on my boom. I'm sure I can make something that sticks on with a couple bolts when needed. I know my big crane can do it better, but the little one is so much easier to maneuver. Shoot me a pic of what you made if you think about it.

I'll get you a picture next time I'm in the valley, I don't seem to have one on my computer or phone.

Progress looks good as usual! If you had not already made a deal with CVF I would have pointed you in the direction of All American Billet for an accessory drive, they are local in Phoenix. We met the owner several years ago at Good Guys and have become good friends. They have some very nice stuff as well, but the kit you got looks good too. Sometimes you just need a break from fab work to play with shiny parts, help heal the hole they left in the wallet lol.

I do find it a little strange that CVF don't have a reverse rotation kit, every other kit I've seen requires a reverse direction pump due to belt routing. Hard for me to envision a standard rotation serpentine setup haha.

[Sbeck09]

Next time you are up here shoot me a message if you would rather see this thing in person. You can share the photo then.

That is a bummer. But after the service CVF provided, I have zero regrets. I was in total shock when they said that it wasn't even a drop down option. I have a suspicion they typically sell kits to older cars or people using the older timing covers which were all standard rotation. That or people see no reverse rotation and go find a company that does make it. I was just uninformed at the time. Seriously...not a single warning on their website! Their manual adjusted system is reverse rotation, but I didn't want two belts and more **** to adjust periodically. At least I got what I wanted in the end and it does look really good. And yes, it was nice to add shiny stuff 'cause the impact to the bank account just keeps growing. Haha.

I would love to use more local companies for parts, but I always seem to find great deals from others beforehand. I'm hoping when it comes time for wheels/tires that a local company will want to work a deal with me and be represented with this thing. ;) On the other hand, I will say that Fikse has been following and liking everything on Instagram so maybe they are interested...

[Sbeck09]

Been trying to post updates here since Friday since some big stuff has been going on with this project. Unfortunately, since this site went onto the new servers last week, any network (especially my home) I'm on locks me out of the site if I try to post photos or anything like that. Not sure what's going on, but this is really frustrating. Hopefully I can post again soon....

[SSLance]

Progress looks good as usual! If you had not already made a deal with CVF I would have pointed you in the direction of All American Billet for an accessory drive, they are local in Phoenix. We met the owner several years ago at Good Guys and have become good friends. They have some very nice stuff as well, but the kit you got looks good too. Sometimes you just need a break from fab work to play with shiny parts, help heal the hole they left in the wallet lol.

I do find it a little strange that CVF don't have a reverse rotation kit, every other kit I've seen requires a reverse direction pump due to belt routing. Hard for

Nelson,

I'm considering a serp setup for my car now..is there someone I should talk to at All About Billet? Can you give an intro maybe?

Thanks,
Lance

[WallaceMFG]

Next time you are up here shoot me a message if you would rather see this thing in person. You can share the photo then.

Sure thing, I would love to see it in person sometime. I'll try to figure out my schedule, pretty hectic the next few weeks lol

Nelson,

I'm considering a serp setup for my car now..is there someone I should talk to at All About Billet? Can you give an intro maybe?

Thanks,
Lance

Lance,

I'll send you a PM.

[Sbeck09]

This should be interesting. I bet it's not what any of you were expecting....I sure wasn't.

Things have been progressing and I had another seemingly productive weekend of knocking out the little tasks that need to get wrapped so I can focus on building the cage and making all the necessary mounts for everything. I was feeling super optimistic.

First up was relocating the steering rack up to correct the bump steer that the new steering arms caused. Ended up having to raise it 1.5 inches, but it was a fairly easy task. I also like the new mounts much better than before. As a bonus, the rack is adjustable with washer shims too.



Also, looking back under the truck there I feel really pleased with where everything is. Looks like this is turning out the be a fantastic setup for street and track use as far as clearances go. Double duty is always a compromise, but I like this one.

So to measure my for the cage tubing and the start on that project the cab needed to go back on with the new mounts. The new gantry crane made that a fairly safe and simple task even by myself. The result was a first look at the real stance of the truck. Oh. My. God. I LOVE how this looks all low to the ground.

So then I was really ready to get an idea of how it looks so I ran over and grabbed the core support and fenders. Forgot how heavy these are. Definitely something I'd like to remedy down the road. Here is the result:



So now I'm so pumped that I'm calling my buddies and texting everyone pics to show that I'm killing it. My idea is really coming together! Until I walk around the side of the truck and look across...



Yup you see it right away too. Somehow I setup the entire front suspension too far rearward. After measuring, it was a whopping 3 inches too far back front the center of the wheel opening! I had a difficult time finding the original axle center line due to the TTB suspension not being symmetrical, but wow this is bad. So I figure I should see how much adjustment I really have in my lower arms (knowing this is not the right way).



A little more forward, but not close enough. And then if you look down at the lower arm geometry it gets worse.



So I walked away for a few hours to think it through and weigh options between cutting and moving everything I have forward or starting over with a new design. I spent this "thinking" time measuring for the cage tubes. Admittedly I am mad at myself for being this far out of spec, but I'm also frustrated because I've already built and rebuilt this suspension. I was so glad to be done with this task.

Ironically, I have had conversations with some of you where I mentioned that I would do it differently if I was starting over now. Guess what....I'm starting over now. The best solution I can come up with is the leave the body panels in position and scratch build a totally different lower subframe with more traditional style lower A arms that will slide under the frame where it actually goes. I think I will also move to the same steering rack as No Limit, Mustang II, etc. which is out of the 80's Thunderbird. It is slightly narrower, cheaper, and mounts better. This way the entire lower will be built square to itself and I can simply measure and install where it belongs just like I did with my IRS. That worked so perfectly as a system. Upper control arms/mounts and spindles will be unchanged other than moving it all forward to match the new placement correctly.

My design will be roughly based around the format of the C5/6 Corvette subframe since that's a simple square shape with robust mounts, but of course it will all be built by yours truly. So if you have a suggestion, idea, or tip speak up quick because now is your chance to chime in and help. I've been ordering parts already hoping to not lose much time to this. I'm getting it right this time damnit. Lance even let me coerce him into coming by to talk it over with me. I feel more confident about the basic design now. He also provided some good pointers to help with packaging everything better while making sure each part is adjustable.

Can I get an AMEN that the forum is letting me post again?!?!

[Sbeck09]

I've been staying super busy trying to knock out this newest front suspension. As annoyed as I am that I can't move on from this task yet, I am really liking the new design much better.

It all started with me seeing some of the builds on here that utilize the C4/5/6 front suspension. I like how simple yet effective it can be. Since I want the front and rear to match in width plus I have specific wants in clearances, I of course opted to build the entire system myself. Still not sure if that's the smart choice at this point.

Never deterred by my prior mistakes I laid out a very rough design on what I would be going for and texted Lance that I wanted someone else's input before I do all this work.



So that's all he had to go on when he arrived in Digital Barney the next morning. We had a solid discussion about a few ideas and things he felt I should include or at least consider in my design. It was SUPER helpful.

Then I dug out the plasma cutter that my neighbor still doesn't want back yet and used my CAD pieces (cardboard aided design) to make all 8 uprights.



And after that couple hours of cutting and grinding we get the desired result



Then I lined them all up in order with the heims as spacers since I want this to all fit super precisely. The all thread guarantees no binding along the pivot axis and made alignment of the plates a breeze.



And finally I tacked everything together nice and square. Those rusty rods on the outside are exactly the width that I want my pivot point. They are just temporary to ensure that everything is perfect. We definitely do NOT trust my measurements. Haha



That measurement was due to the change in steering rack. Which was something I talked about way back with my original design. Seriously worth it. So much cheaper to replace than the S197 rack and readily available. From my research this is apparently the same rack used in the decent Mustang II setups, No Limit Wide Ride, and a few that looked like good designs from other companies. It is 6" narrower than the old rack so now was the time to make the change.



After that was tacked up and I checked to make sure everything was still accurate I was ready to attack control arms. We want 67.5" for the width between where the wheel sits against the rotor hats. You'll see an additional hole there from when I forgot that the spindle does extend past the ball joint pivot (I was tired that day). I used the new sub-frame as my jig since it already has the arm width set. Worked perfectly.



Then I added some plate in the middle and 2 supports which should ensure that these arms are rigid. Seriously...they are way beefier and almost identical in weight to my last arm design. You can see how much different this is. I think we can all agree that this was a good setback.



I did get the shock mounts added too, but must have forgotten to snap a photo. I wanted them to cool overnight so I can paint them tomorrow before they rust. No, I didn't add the sway bar mount yet, but I have no idea where it will end up. So rather than dealing with rust, I'll just grind off the small section of paint when I weld those on and repaint once it's finished.

One issue I need you guys to help with is my Tie-rod adjusters. I can't find one off the shelf that is long enough with the correct thread on each side. Can one of you whip one up in aluminum or point me to someone/company who can? That's my only stopping point before this new suspension is 100% done.